As the times are changing and large corporations are struggling to keep up with the fast pace of the technological evolution, the smartest ones have realized that they simply cannot handle the progress just by developing stuff in-house anymore. They are getting more active in seeking possibilities from the outside. They are turning their eyeballs towards the startup world where things happen fast by using the latest lean and agile development methods they can only dream about implementing in their massive organizations.
At ArcticStartup we’re proud to be part of linking startups and corporations together. After the first Reverse Pitching session at Arctic15 where we had the likes of Facebook, PayPal, GE Healthcare and Fonecta reaching out, now the time has come to continue this journey with the next wave of large companies willing to jump on stage and pitch to startups about their strategies and needs. They need you, startups, and in return they can offer the access to resources and markets which normally are way beyond the reach of a small startup. So I urge you to listen to them and engage with them as Itella, Ericsson & Tieto are serious about starting to work with you. You can register for the event here.
Are you a startup working on IoT, hardware, sensors, analytics, big data, e-commerce, marketing, mobility, cloud or lean software development? The corporates need you. Second Reverse Pitching will be held October 27th at Yrityslinna, Helsinki.
One of the biggest themes will be IoT. It is not going to be big, it’s going to be huge! No industrial process will escape from it. In the long run we’re talking trillions, not billions, in terms of dollar value globally. So it does not come as a surprise that some corporations have already jumped on the IoT-train and are putting a lot of resources on building the next evolution of the internet for their customers. In addition to Hardware and Sensor technologies, IoT links very closely to Big Data, Analytics, API’s and other Data Services and Applications, so all of these areas are what the companies participating are looking to build business on right now. So if you happen to be in any or several of these fields, read carefully and clear your calendar for the afternoon of Monday October 27th as the pitching session will happen then in Helsinki at YritysLinna, the new home of EnterpriseHelsinki and NewCo Factory. The event is free to attend, but as the space is limited, you should register here in advance to secure your spot.
The corporations taking the stage at Reverse Pitching vol 2.0 are: Ericsson, Tieto and Itella.
Yes, Itella, the logistics giant is joining and they will be announcing something very interesting. They asked us not to share too much details beforehand, but the announcement will have something to do with their new e-commerce unit which was launched last year. So if you are in that space, it might be worth your time to come and hear yourself what they have to say. As we’ve had a little peek on what they have been preparing, we can tell that much that it is going to be big news and they are ready co-operate with startups. We’ll be able to share more details about their plans after the event when the news is out already. But to get the first hand knowledge and to meet Itella folks in person, be there in YritysLinna on 27th!
Tieto, the IT giant with somewhat notorious background of delivering huge and heavy IT-projects, is renewing itself from the inside. Earlier this year they hired Finnish serial entrepreneur Taneli Tikka to lead their “facelift”. Taneli told us that his title is “Head of Industrial Internet” and that he reports directly to the CEO. He also mentioned that he is now building a team to help bring Tieto in the forefront of IoT with a backing of nice budget and that they are looking for partners for the ride. Maybe we’ll be lucky to see on stage their cool robot which comes from their research centre in Sweden (I saw it in action yesterday!) and get a glimpse of the future which is here already. In addition to IoT, Tieto will announce a call-for-tenders for agile software developers so come prepared to jump on this chance.
The third brave company looking forward to meet you is Ericsson, the tech giant who sold their handset business to Sony and is now concentrating on mobility, broadband and the cloud. Ericsson will present their “Networked Society” program. They are willing to work with startups and with their immerse resources ($5,000,000,000 spent on R&D every year!) and a truly global network of having customers in more than 180 countries, they might be a perfect partner for you if you are operating in the area of IoT, mobility or connecting the next generation of internet users all over the world in some way. Ericsson told us that the way how they are doing things currently creates new windows of opportunities constantly, and they are open to try out and build cool things with you.
We are very excited about the Reverse Pitching as from our point of view, large corporations play a relevant part in the whole ecosystem and as mentioned before, they can offer access to things straight out of the wet dreams of a startup CEO. And better not to forget one more important thing. Exits. Large companies are the ones who you can sell your company to, and starting with a small partnership could lead to a nice payday in the near future when they realize they want to integrate your awesome team into theirs and are willing to fork out the cash to make it happen.
So if while reading this you felt that this could be an interesting way to boost your business and you operate in the fields of IoT, hardware, sensors, analytics, big data, e-commerce, marketing, mobility, cloud or lean software development, please, join us by registering here and come to meet the big companies. They really want to meet you!
The doors will open at 12:00 and the afternoon will consist of pitching sessions followed by Q&A where you get to drill the pitching companies, and also we’ll have open panel discussion about how startups and large corporations should and could work together, hosted by “Hoodiedude” Sami Kuusela and Harri Kerminen. Ohh and we’ll close the day with some wine and networking.
Check out the videos from vol 1.0 at here.
